Dragon Age: Inquisition, A Retold Story
by I'mSecretlyANinjaTimeLord
Summary: This is a Retelling of the game, for a bit at least. I intend to put the character that suited my Male Archer Faerynduil Lavellen into the story. The main plot of the game is followed and it is mostly the backstory of him and the character develpoment that I wanted. When the young Lavellan wakes up in a prison not knowing his past, his future becomes the focus of all of Thedas.


So... this is a retelling of the game. Not because I'm lazy, but because I didn't feel that the character I wanted to be was there, or at least the one that suited my designed character. I wanted the person I was projecting onto the Archer I made to have more story than was possible in the game and to explore more of who they were, rather than who the Inquisition had made them. I also wanted a younger an less worldly feel to them, someone with a bit of a lacking in the experience department, but not so much that what they could achieve seemed impossible.

Thanks for reading :) Leave some love and all comments welcome, needs to know what is right and what is wrong! xxImSecretlyANinjaTimelordxx

Everything was hot. His arm was burning, and has body ached. There was a green glow in the room he found himself in. He slowly became aware of the presence of armoured soldiers around him, and the fact that he was in a prison hold of sorts. Where was he? Was he still in Fereldan? Where the guards there to protect him? Where the protection against him? He had no idea.

Suddenly, the door in front of him swung open, slamming against the stone wall of the prison. Slowly, a dark haired woman walked towards him, followed by a hooded figure. The dark haired woman circled him, threateningly. He could feel the panic rise in his chest, but he knew he could not afford to show any weakness.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now?" A Nevarran accent, he noted, "The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead… except for you."

He remained silent. What could you say to that? He had attended as his Keeper had told him, the war between the Magi and the Templars affected everyone. The Dalish included. But here she stood, angry and probably upset. Who did she lose in the blast? Was it truly his fault?

"Explain this?!" She grabbed his arm. It was glowing. When did it start doing that? It hurt. Badly. He tried not to show it, but the pain was too much; his face betrayed him.

"I… can't…" The young elf spoke for the first time, a tremble to his voice.

"What do you mean you can't?!" The Nevarran was cross.

"I don't know what that is! Or how it got there!" He protested.

"You're lying!" She grabbed him by the scruff of his collar, lifting his lithe from off the ground. He was terrified.

The hooded figure stepped in, the Lavellan hadn't been entirely convinced until that moment that she wasn't a figment of his imagination. "We need him, Cassandra."

The dark haired woman, Cassandra, stepped back, letting the other take the lead as she calmed herself.

"I don't understand." He spoke softly.

"Do you remember what happened? How this began?" The other woman was talking to him now. He wasn't sure whether to be more or less terrified at this point. He could feel his heart thumping loudly, blood rushing in his ears, and a distant ringing that wouldn't go away.

"I remember running. _Things_ were chasing me, and then… a woman…?" Even he was second guessing himself. He couldn't remember anything. Why couldn't he remember anything?!

"A woman?" The hooded lady asked.

"She reached out to me. But then…" Fog clouded his memory, was this even the truth that he was speaking. He let out a sigh. He was weary and scared. He had insisted to the Keeper that he go on his own for this task. With all the chantry that was going to be present the worst he would suffer was name calling by ignorant attendees of the Conclave, but he could deal with that. He would heed all said and try to get the best outcome for all, Dalish included.

"Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take him to the rift." Cassandra interjected. Leliana nodded and left the dark room. The elf slumped where he sat, beginning to resign himself to the death he was sure that was destined for him. Then Cassandra knelt in front of him, removing the chains that held him the prison. But she left the bonds that kept his hand together and restrained.

"What _did_ happen?" He chanced asking this Cassandra, not entirely expecting a reply. She lifted him to his feet.

"It will be easier to show you." His feet gave way under him, and the dark haired woman caught him, not letting him fall. His legs were numb. The sensation of the blood returning to his lower half was extremely uncomfortable; as was the walk along the long corridor and up the seemingly unending flight of stairs. Cassandra had him by his arm the whole way. She had an iron grip, and he had a very small arm. Or it seemed that way in her hand.

A guard opened the door for them, and immediately his eyes strained at the light. The green glow of his hand grew brighter. The pain grew stronger but as he looked to the sky, the pain in his arm seemed like nothing compared to what was happening in the world around him. A giant tear in the sky, above the mountain where the Temple of Sacred Ashes had once been.

"We call it 'The Breach.' It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour." Cassandra told him. "It's not the only such rift. Just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."

"An explosion can do that?" He asked. Fear and fury rising in his heart.

"This one did." Cassandra looked him dead in the eyes, "Unless we act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world."

The rift in the sky sparked. Or exploded. He wasn't sure, but at that moment his hand reacted with it. It was an immense pain, worse than anythan he had felt from it yet. He couldn't take it. He dropped to his knees, holding his afflicted hand to his chest.

Cassandra knelt before him, "Each time the breach expands, your mark spreads... and it is killing you." He took a moment to digest that information. the fear ever rising in his chest. He felt incapable of dealing with it all. "It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn't, much time."

Lavellan looked at the woman before him, "I understand." The conviction in his voice surprised him.

"Then...?" It seemed his conviction surprised Cassandra too.

"I'll do what I can. Whatever it takes."

Cassandra pulled him roughly to his feet and led him through the village. Everyone around him stared as he walked, with a lot more hatred and distain than even he was used to as a Dalish amoung shemlan.

"They have decided your guilt. They need it." Cassandra told him, "The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, Head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers. It was a chance for peace between Mages and Templars. She brought their leaders together. Now, they are dead." They walked to the door at the edge of town, and it was opened for them. The soldiers nodded to Cassandra as she passed them, the prisoner walking carefully behind her, "We lash out, like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves, as she did." She paused looking up to the tear in the sky, "Until the breach is sealed." She turned to him and took out her knife. "There will be a trial, I can promise no more." And she cut the bonds. "Come. It is not far."

"Where are you taking me?" The young elf said, doing everything in his power to stop his voice from breaking. From allowing himself to break.

"Your mark must be tested on something smaller than the breach." Cassandra told him.

He slowly walked across the bridge. The humans staring at him, venom in their eyes. ' _Fuckin' knife ear_ '. It was all he could hear as he passed each soldier, every one of them hating him. Hating him for being Dalish. Hating him for killing the Divine. Hating him for surviving when everyone else had perished. Amoungst the hatred he could hear devout Andrastians praying, this comfoted him somehow.

"Open the gate, we are heading into the valley." Cassandra ordered the soldiers positioned at the opposite end of the bridge as they neared it. It took the Dalish away from his thoughts, thankfully. He never really cared about what the shem thought of him or the Clan, but they were very possibly justified in their hatred for him now, and he couldn't bare it.

She led him through the door and to the left, up past soldiers trying to hold off any possible darkspawn that might be thrown out of the rift to Havens boundary. Some ran past them in the other direction. Not a good sign, the elf considered. Large debris fell from the rift crashing around them as they neared the next bridge. Then the rift erupted, growning once again. The elf let out a cry, the pain was so intense. He fell to his knees again, tears forming in his eyes. Cassandra turned back and ran to his aid. She helped him to his feet yet again, the look of concern on her face for the young elf seemed genuine. If he was telling the the truth, if he wasn't the one who was responsible for all this then to have this destiny thrust upon him... He was seemed so young, he gave the impression of one who still retained his innocence, he had a way about him. However, she could be mistaking his Dalish ways and lack of human knowledge as innocence, she could still be right about his guilt.

"The larger the breach grows, the more rifts appear, the more demons we face." Cassandra told him.

"How _did_ I survive the blast?" Lavellan asked tentatively.

"They said you... stepped out of a rift, then fell unconscious. They say a woman was in the rift behind you, no one knows who she was." She stopped just before they started over the next bridge, and looked at the elf. His eyes held so much emotion, maybe he hadn't really needed to heard that just yet. Starting over the stonework, she continued telling him, despite any reservations she may have held,"Everything farther in the valley was laid waste, including the Temple of Sacred Ashes."

Suddenly a shot from the Breach hurtled towards them, crashing into the bridge they walked on, destroying it. The stones tumbled from beneath their feet and onto the frozen river below, the Seeker and the Elf landing on top of the jagged rubble. Cassandra recovered quickly, and jumped to attack a Shade that had passed through the veil in front of them.

"Stay behind me!" She commanded the elf.

He did as he was told, and remained sat on the ice looking on at the warrior as she fought fiercely . He was unarmed and trying to help was a very bad idea. Then, in between himself and the Seeker, another Shade appeared. He backed away, sliding across the as quickly as his arms and feet would send him. Fear froze him as he hit the rubble. The Shade drew closer, and Cassandra was still fending off the other one. He looked desperately around him, hoping for something, _anything_ , he could defend himself with. When he saw it, he found himself praising the Maker as well as the Creators, any of them that were listening deserved thanks, a bow and some arrows had landed within a reasonable reach of him. He wasn't going to die by a lowly darkspawn! Lavellan jumped for the weapon, as the creature made for him, and with a grace that only the Dalish could possess, he turned and shot an arrow in its shoulder. Finally, and thankfully, Cassandra has beaten the other Shade and ran to his aid yet again, cutting down the spawn that was attacking Lavellan.

"It's over." He let out a sigh of relief.

"Drop your weapon! _Now_!" Cassandra had her sword pointed at his throat.

The adrenaline from being safe from the darkspawn quickly left him, and panic set in once more, "A-alright." The Dalish stuttered, backing away from the Seeker, her face dark with an anger he did not want to face. He bent down, and went to put the bow back down on the ice.

"Wait..." She stopped him before he let it go, "I cannot protect you, and I cannot expect you to be defenseless." She sighed, almost defeatedly. "I should remember you did not attempt to run."

The pair made their way through the snow and across the mountain, fighting whatever darkspawn they crossed. Lavellan could feel his legs tremble with each step, barely able to keep himself supported. Cassamdra looked on at him sometimes, most of the time she was scanning the hills for any threats, but occasionally she would look at the elf. The Dalish people were very slender, she noted. In the back of her mind, a worry nipped at her; how old was this Elf that they were resting their hopes upon? He looked so young. He could be as young as sixteen, or older than herself, she didn't know. If they survived, she would have to remember to ask him.

"We're getting close to the rift!" Cassandra called out to the elf, who was climbing the stairs faster then she could, "You can hear them fghting up ahead."

"Who's fighting?" Lavellan questioned.

"You'll see soon enough. We must help them."

He kept running, despite not knowing what he was running to. He only stopped when he reached a ledge, he looked over to see a rift spouting darkspawn at a small group of soldiers. He choked for a minute before Cassandra caught up with him and ushered him forward to help the soldiers against the rift. He watched on for a moment as Cassandra jumped straight into the middle of the fighting. Plunged her sword into a darkspawn and he watched as it _melted_ and _fizzed_ to nothing but an essence and was dragged back into the Beyond. A wisp launched a magic spell at him, brining him into the battle. He began firing his arrows, as fast as his tired arms could launch them. He slowly got closer to the rift as he helped take out more and more darkspawn, until the rift gave everyone a small gilmmer of hope that it wasn't going to spout anymore creatures.

"Quickly!" The Elven mage that had been fighting with Cassandra's soldiers grabbed him by the wrist, forcing him closer to the rift, "Before more come through!" The rift began to fizzle and crackle, then it disappeared.

"What did you do?" Lavellan quizzed the other elf.

" _I_ did nothing, the credit is yours." The bald elf said in return. If he was trying to make the younger feel better, it wasn't working, he was just more confused than before.

" _I_ closed that thing? How?"

"Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand." The elf told him, "I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake – and it seems I was correct."

"Meaning it could also close the Breach itself." Cassandra interjected.

"Possibly." The bald elf turned to Lavellan, "It seems you hold the key to our salvation."

"Good to know!" A husky, voice came from behind them, "Here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever." They all turned simultaneously to find a crossbow wielding dwarf fixing the cuff of his jacket. "Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong." The dwarf gave a cheeky smirk and winked at Cassandra, who replied to the gesture with a look one could only describe as disgust.

"That's..." Lavellan wasn't sure what to say, "... a nice crossbow you have their." He sounded as though he was just talking for the sake of talking, but the unusual weapon the dwarf carried had genuinely captured his attention, it was unlike anything he had ever seen, and his Clan had travelled far and wide in his lifetime.

"Ah, isn't she? Bianca and I have been through a lot together."

"You named your crossbow Bianca?" Naming weapons and other such objects had been a strange custom that he had never understood.

"Of course." Varric said matter-of-factly, "And she'll be great company in the valley." He assured the elf.

"Absolutely not!" Cassandra barely let the dwarf finish his sentance before butting in, "Your help is appreciated Varric, but-"

"Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker?" The surface dwelling author jumped down Cassandra's throat as quickly as she had done to him, "Your soldiers aren't in control anymore, you need me." Cassandra huffed and began walking in the direction they needed to keep heading.

"My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live." The other elf joined back in with the conversation.

"He means, "I kept that mark from killing you while you slept." Varric corrected Solas.

The younger elf turned to Solas, "How did you... do that?" How could someone know enough about it to be able to help him, he wondered.

"Healing magic and minor wards, " Solas informed him, "But I fear your mark is now past the point where those will help you." The Apostate turned to the Seeker, " Cassandra, you should know; the magic involved here is unlike any I have seen. Your prisoner is no mage. Indeed, I find it difficult to imagine _any_ mage having such power."

"Understood." She told him. "We must get to the forward camp quickly." Cassandra and Solas headed off with determination.

"Well... Bianca's excited!" Varric joked as he followed them.

The four travelled and fought together to reach the forward camp. For Lavellan, seeing a Seeker of Truth, a member of the Chanrty, an Elven apostate and a Dwarf all working together to stop the Breach. It drove home the point his Keeper made to him before he had left. She haad told him that the conclave was much bigger than just the Circle mages and the Templars, it was for all of Fereldan to come together to shape the future. He laughed inwardly as he thought at just how right she was, if she had perhaps even known, in some small way that this would happen.

"So.. speaking of introductions..." Varric looked to Cassandra, then to her other prisoner, and back and forth between the two, " What's the kid's name?"

"This is..." She stoppped dead in her tracks, she never even asked his name, she had taken his help. She had scared him and shouted at him. Accused him, then epected his help, and she didn't even have the courtesy to find out his name, calling him only 'Lavellan'. His Clan name.

"Wait!" Varric laughed, "You didn't even ask? Andraste's tits! Seeker! Shame on you!"

She blushed at her own ignorance.

"So, kid, what is your name?" Varric said, now asking the elf himself.

"Oh... eh..." he stuttered, practically forgetting hi own name, " F-Faerynduil..."

"Forgetting your own name kid?" Varrric laughed, " So... _are_ you innocent?"

"I don't remember what happened..." Faerynduil's ears betrayed him as they fell, showing the shame he felt. Until they found out what happened, he was the one to blame for what happened, he had even considered the fact he may not ever return to his Clan again.

"That'll get you everytime." Varric was trying to make him feel better, as another captive, and as someone who had watched the Champoin of Kirkwall rise to the top, he knew what it looked like to be burdened with such a weight. "Should have spun a story."

Faerynduil said nothing, instead Cassandra gave a sharp look to Varric, "That's what _you_ would have done."

"It's more believable, and less likely to rezult in premature execution." The dwarf returned the glare.

"I hope Leliana made it through all this." Cassandra voiced her concern openly.

"She's resourceful, Seeker." Varric reassuured her.

"We will see for ourselves at the forward camp, we are almost there." Solas said, adding his piece.

Thank the Creators they were almost there.


End file.
